Fall
by Mystical Authoress
Summary: Post-game. Peace is trying to be built between the Gurak and the humans, but it won't be easy. On top of that, Zesha-the new leader of the Gurak-has much to deal with, from the deaths of Zepha and Zangurak, trying to build peace with Lazulis, and one thing he didn't expect...falling into a risky love with one of his former enemies, which could shake both Lazulis and the Gurak.
1. Tripping

**Author note: I do not own 'The Last Story.' Nor do I own the song 'Fall' by Ed Sheeran, hence the title of this fanfic and the slight inspiration for the fic.**

**Before anyone starts going "WHAT!? ANOTHER FIC ALREADY!? ARE YOU INSANE,MYSTICAL AUTHORESS!?" I must tell you that I did NOT plan on this happening so soon. This completely came up in my mind, and it was nagging me strongly for a good ten minutes to write it. No, this doesn't mean I'm going to be updating this often-The Last Story Anthology needs to be updated, the carnival fic I just started not long ago needs to be updated, Blood Warrior needs to be updated, as well as a six gazillion other fics...so-well-don't expect this to be updated until, let's say...December? Maybe even later? We'll see how things go.**

**Warning: Post-game, eventual MiraniaxZesha (yup, I'm toying with this pairing again), possible other pairings, violence**

**Constructive Criticism would be great, and I hope that you read, review and enjoy! Thanks!**

* * *

_**Fall**_

* * *

_**1. Tripping**_

* * *

It was only a month after the war of the Outsider between Lazulis and the Gurak Continent had ended. Things were at peace, or at least, more peaceful than before. The lands stopped decaying, but tension between the Gurak and the humans still remained a bit. Since Zangurak died, the throne had to be given to none other than Zesha, the late Gurak ruler's right hand man. The almost-killer of Lowell accepted it with a heavy heart, burdened with the death of his brother Zepha and of Zangurak, as well as the deaths of the rest of his people that died during the war.

He knew that he must put away his hatred of the humans. If the Gurak Continent was to prosper, he would have no choice but to work with the humans, after who had supported the late Count Arganan or Zangurak still believed strongly in not associating with the other kind, but he and Callista were trying their best to keep them united. The occasional meetings they had between them, to make sure things were going alright with the treaty and all, were merely a brief few hours, thank goodness. Zesha _still_ couldn't help but think that the Lazulis Countess of now was a bit too stubborn for her own good, whenever she insisted on the importance of humans coexisting with the Gurak. She so unlike the late Count Arganan...

Right now, he was on his way to Lazulis City. Callista had something concerning to tell him about, and as far as he knew it definitely wasn't good. He just hoped it wouldn't turn into anything major. If there was one thing he didn't need, it was all the attention. It felt like a million pairs of eyes were watching his every move, listening to every word he spoke, and he hated it.

* * *

He entered Lazulis City, accompanied by the Gurak soldiers that came with him. Some of the people watched him pass by, backing away whenever he came close. None dared to approach him. It was typical, Zesha figured. There were some that were all shook up, still, from the war-it would make sense that they would be so scarred.

Callista and Zael stood right outside the castle, wearing smiles on their faces. Zesha was sure that they were fearing him still-he _did _almost kill others close to them, after all. He remembered, after a moment, that the young rulers in front of him were married since at least a few weeks ago. They must be happy to be together, Zesha thought. They must be so happy to be together, with no Count Arganan or Jirall Rambaldt to stop them.

He was about to greet them, taking a step forward, when he felt a foot slide right in front of him.

Zesha reacted far too late-down he went and he felt someone call out for him-_"Lord Zesha!"-_trying to hold him up, but failing to support his sudden weight. He ended up dragging someone down in the process-unintentionally, of course.

The next thing he realized, he was staring down at the familiar face of one of those mercenaries that battled him in the Last World. A shock of blue eyes, a lighter shade than the sky above, met his dark ones of the night. For a moment, there was only silence and staring, as his long, blond hair nearly entwined themselves in the young woman's short, black tresses. He couldn't help but notice the white lily in her hair-lilies looked _good _with her complexion, he realized-and he swore he nearly touched her face with one hand.

And then, they were helping each other up, as if tripping and falling was nothing but a mere trifle. They had to keep calm-they could not panic like this, not in public. It would not look good for either one of them if they panicked.

"My apologies, Lord Zesha." He heard her speak softly, head bowed. "I was only trying to help, but I'm afraid I just ended up making it worse."

He merely nodded, doing his best to keep a face of indifference. "There is no need to apologize." He responded as calmly as possible. "I am glad that you tried to help me, just now. Thank you."

What was that human woman's name? Why couldn't he remember? She _was _familiar, but then again he never really bothered with the names of humans back then, when he was serving the late Lord Zangurak. She and her other friends fought him, after he (almost) killed Lowell and Zael ran away to find Callista, to also reach Zangurak.

He couldn't remember all the details of the fighting afterwards, but there had been that one woman who came up to his fallen form after being so exhausted, and used some of her healing magic on him after her friends left to catch up with Zael. She told Zesha to leave the Last World before it was too late, because it was a dangerous place and that he shouldn't really be there. He refused.

She knocked him out, so he wouldn't be able to fight and the next thing after that was that he woke up to the Last World crumbling around him. He had no choice but to flee after that, only to be greeted with news of the death of Lord Zangurak.

He shook his head slighty-he had to put it behind, put it all away for the sake of his people's prosperity...

After he greeted Zael and Callista, accompanying them inside the castle, that was when he remembered her name, and it was stuck in his head for the rest of the day afterwards.

_Mirania. _Zesha swore that he wouldn't forget it again.


	2. Say Something

_2. Say Something_

Zesha glanced about the guest chamber, his place to sleep in Lazulis City. He thought it was alright, though it would take some getting used to. He wasn't familiar with a fully restored Lazulis City-no, he was more acquainted with the ruined one, especially with flames and rubble lying around the castle. He was also more acquainted with what happened in the ruins of Lazulis Castle-from the pained screams of the humans to the victorious cries of his Gurak comrades...

Shaking the memory out of his mind, he walked towards the nearby window, gazing at the view of a sunset. It immediately reminded him of how long the afternoon had felt-it could have been eons, and the discussion between himself, Zael and Callista was...quite long, if he remembered carefully. He wasn't sure if he remembered everything, but thankfully he had one of his fellow Gurak to act as a scribe and jot down the important parts of the meeting, which was good. If he hadn't been involved in this conversation, he was sure that he probably would have fallen asleep by the first ten minutes, only to wake up an hour later at Callista's raised anger about how there were these separatist groups, human and Gurak alike, that were tearing Lazulis and the Gurak Continent apart.

There was a sudden knock a the door, and he turned towards the door quietly, not saying a word. There was another knock, and he knew he could not ignore whoever it was for long. Letting out a sigh, he spoke loud enough for the person on the other side of the door to hear.

"Come in."

There was a moment of silence, and then the door slowly creaked open. He had to blink twice to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but he knew who it was.

It was her. _Mirania._

"You." He managed to say after a moment of silence. "What do you want?"

The black-haired mage paused, closing the door behind her as she spoke. "My name is Mirania, Zesha." She started, pausing for a moment before continuing to speak. "I'm not sure if you remember me, but I have fought you before, alongside my friends. You even...temporarily killed one of them."

"I do remember you." He figured he might as well just tell it to her straight. "And I do remember clearly the death of the one your allies called Lowell. And yet...he is still up and breathing, as far as I've heard."

"That is true."

Both went silent for a moment, unsure of what to say. Eventually, Zesha broke the silence, knowing so badly that he _wished _to know exactly _why _Mirania was here.

"Why are you here?"

There was a moment of silence before Mirania spoke. "Well," She started, "I thought I'd return these to you. It's not right to keep someone else's property-or your brother's. I've been taking care of them until now." Extending her arms forward, he immediately recognized the four swords in her hands.

"East Wing and West Wing..." He snatched those swords (_his _swords) away from her first, examining the blades closely. There was no dent on them, not even a scratch. The blades were polished so well, beyond anything he'd ever seen before. So immaculate...

He put those blades aside, looking at the North and South Wing, his brother's swords. They were so clean, so immaculate-not a scratch or dent anywhere, either. He shut his eyes for a moment, remembering hearing his brother's dying words.

_"...a curse upon the humans for all eternity!"_

Eternity._ Eternity. _How would Zepha ever react if he'd been alive to witness the peace treaty being made? Or Zangurak, even-the late Lord Zangurak would not be pleased at all-

And suddenly, Zesha felt the pressure get to him. He just wanted to_ say something_ about how much all of this pressure hurt, say something about how hard this terrorism activity and tension between his people and the humans was getting to him, but that sounded like a childish _complaint_ to him and he didn't want to sound like a child-he was an adult, and _adults didn't-kings didn't-_

The next thing he'd realized, he was on his knees sobbing as the North and South Wings clattered onto the ground. Mirania went down on a knee, trying to face him properly, facial expression full of pure concern.

He didn't want this. All of this really hurt-the deaths of Zangurak and Zepha, the deaths of many of his people, the separatist terrorists ravaging both the Gurak Continent and Lazulis. It almost seemed like everything was better _before _the peace treaty was ever created and before that Outsider could be sent back into space where it belonged...

He knew, though, that the past was no better than the current situation. He had to move on, but damn it-it was _so hard _for him and he doubted anyone would understand.

"Lord Zesha?" He looked up to see a handkerchief extended towards his face. He hesitated, before grabbing the handkerchief and using it to wipe away any tears. Men did not cry. _Gurak men _especially were not supposed to cry in this world, this society-not here or anywhere. That was stupid of him, to start crying like a child. Right? That was why she gave him that handkerchief just now. Right?

Mirania helped him up, still looking at him with concern. "...Are you alright?"

"Better," He admitted grudgingly, knowing too well that she would like an answer like that. At least, he thought she would.

"What do you really feel?"

"..." He didn't want to answer. She didn't say anything after that. The two just stared at each other, both too full of disbelief and confusion about what just happened.

"Goodnight...Mirania." He finally managed to say, realizing that it was so dark outside.

"Goodnight, Lord Zesha." She headed for the door, but turned towards him at the last second. "I do hope that you'll sleep well."

He nodded once. "I hope so, too."

Outside, Therius walked out of sight before Mirania could notice his presence.

* * *

**Author note: ...And...the moral of the story is that it's incredibly hard for me to keep Zesha in character without me going and having him cry already in the second chapter. (insert sweatdrop here) Hopefully that didn't seem too OOC for him, but I honestly think all of deaths of his people, Zangurak and especially the death of Zepha (his brother) would definitely not be easy to bear. Especially with the fact that there are now separatist terrorist groups running around in Lazulis and the Gurak Continent. **

**Anyway, I thought I'd wish all of you guys a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noel or whatever way you call 'Merry Christmas!' I do hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter, and reviews are appreciated! Thanks so much! **


	3. Cautious

**_3. Cautious_**

Zesha was able to sleep, somewhat. Unfortunately, his blissful sleep immediately turned to nightmares, and he couldn't get himself to sleep any longer. He ended up waking and falling asleep numerous times, until he finally gave up early in the morning and instead decided to get dressed for the day. If he could not sleep, he would do his best to keep himself awake the entire day if necessary. Sleeping in was not an option for one who was the ruler of the Gurak, unless he was sick or injured. And Zesha knew too well that he was not injured...sick, though? Not physically, but mentally, maybe...he wasn't exactly sure about that.

After getting dressed, he figured that perhaps a little saunter through the castle halls wouldn't do any harm, so he opted to do exactly just that. Looking in the mirror as he headed towards the door, and desperately trying to rub sleep out of his eyes, he reached for the doorknob and opened the door.

Right in front of him-though not exactly facing him, was Sir Therius-Zesha remembered seeing him yesterday, commanding the other knights to do their duties properly. Judging from the young man's weary state, the Gurak King figured that the knight must have been up for quite a while-perhaps even longer than himself.

Therius turned towards Zesha, bowing a little. "Good morning, Lord Zesha." He greeted, his words unwavering and calm despite his obviously tired expression.

"Good morning." Zesha managed to say, nodding once. "Should I assume that you did not sleep well?"

"I'm afraid I had no sleep at all, Lord Zesha." The other admitted, nodding once. "A Gurak woman and her human lover were murdered this past evening by her own brother-both bludgeoned to death with a mace as the murder weapon. It turns out he was one of these seperatists that have been putting the Gurak Continent and Lazulis under distress, but he was assassinated before we could get a word out of him, unfortunately. My men are still searching for the assassin, but we haven't turned up any clues for as of where he or she went."

Zesha stiffened, cringed, as he heard the melancholy news playing about in his mind. He could almost imagine the scene now-_the woman screaming as her lover was beat to death in front of her eyes, and the brother, eyes seething with pure rage-_

And he blinked a bit, snapping out of the horrid images that previously haunted him. He could not think about this now, even if it hurt. _Don't think about it, don't think about it..._

"I...see..." The Gurak King swallowed a little, before speaking. "I still can't get myself to process in my mind, Sir Therius, that my own kind would turn against each other-nor for the humans to go and hurt each other as well."

"I wasn't expecting it to happen, either, though I supposed it should have been expected." The white knight answered. "Humans and Gurak, full of hatred towards each other for a number of years...much work will need to be taken to undo the hatred and form bonds. It's not as easy as putting a mere peace treaty down, I'm afraid. There is so much beyond words on paper that will have to be done to ensure peace among the people."

Zesha didn't have to ponder over those words for even a second to state his opinion. "I do agree." He never thought twice about it. "Peace is never an easy thing to achieve."

Before Therius could speak again, the two heard footsteps, and they turned to see Mirania, walking towards them. "Good morning," She greeted them with a quiet smile, albeit a tired one. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

_"No."_ Both of them answered simultaneously.

The healing mage let out a sigh. "I'm afraid I didn't, either." She replied, shaking her head a little.

Therius looked at Mirania quizzically. "Why are you up so early, Miss Mirania? Did the stress of the seperatist situation keep you from a much needed sleep?" He asked.

"In fact, yes." Mirania glanced at Zesha as she continued speaking. "I've been thinking about almost nothing but that lately, and I also thought that, well, Lord Zesha would be, well, unused to being here, and with the stress of the whole problem being on his mind, it wouldn't exactly help him, either."

Zesha was a bit taken aback for a moment at the statement. Was Mirania just really good at reading his mood, or was it the fact that she was thinking about what happened last night between them? The Gurak King liked to think that it was the latter-the stress had gotten to him back then, after all.

"Do you suggest anything, then?" Even Therius looked a bit intrigued to as of why Mirania would suddenly be interested in keeping Zesha's mind a bit clearer.

"Yes." The mage paused, before speaking again. "I was wondering if you'd like to take a wander around Lazulis City with me. I mean, it's probably gets stuffy for you being in the castle for so long. And...it would be good to be acquainted a bit more with your surroundings, right?"

Zesha paused, before nodding once. "I see your point." He started, "But...wouldn't Lady Callista and...Zael...be wondering about my absence? Surely there is much to discuss still, and lateness would not be excused..."

She smiled a little. "I already told them. They thought it would be a good idea, as long as you were alright with it and that at least one of the knights accompanied us-in the case that someone tries to assassinate you in the middle of the street."

Zesha and Therius exchanged glances for a moment, before Zesha thought over the idea and made his decision. It would be nice to get used to his surroundings-get to know the city a bit more, especially in its rebuilt state-so if the city was possibly under attack by the seperatists, he would know the fastest, best ways out of the place. Was it not a brilliant idea? Zesha liked to think it was.

* * *

"Miss Mirania, I still believe this is not the best idea to be out here."

Mirania let out a sigh as she turned towards Therius, who was accompanying her and the Gurak King. "Therius, I understand your concern, but for the last time, it would be completely ridiculous to assassinate someone out of the blue in _public." _She tried to explain. "And there are more knights than usual, so they could probably-or least, we would hope-that they will catch anyone who tries to assault myself, Zesha or you."

"Actually," Zesha interjected as they sauntered out of Castle Gate Plaza and into the streets, "This is the_ perfect_ time for an assassination. I get killed, and the murderer gets away by mingling with the crowd. I hate to admit it, but Sir Therius has a point."

Therius looked slightly amused, most likely due to the fact that Zesha was supporting his opinion, and the Gurak King couldn't help but smile a little at that in victory. Mirania, on the other hand, looked a little frazzled.

"Don't either of you remember than I have healing abilities?" She stated, as if almost sounding slightly annoyed.

Both expressions of mirth suddenly faded after that statement, in realization of what it meant.

"Oh..." Therius trailed off awkwardly, glancing at the ground to evade Mirania's gaze. "My...apologies, Miss Mirania, I had forgotten."

Mirania nodded a little. "It's alright..." She then paused, looking at them a bit more closely. "You both look more exhausted than I imagined. I probably shouldn't have invited you both out to a wander if you're both so tired..."

"Oh-" Zesha managed to figure out something to say. "It's completely fine, I assure you. It's fine. I believe can manage to stay awake the whole day."

"No, really, if you're seriously tired, I can-"

"Pardon my interruption, but even if we got back to the castle," Therius finally interjected, "We would all be late for breakfast."

"Oh." Both Mirania and Zesha exchanged glances. For some reason before going outside, all three of them had utterly forgotten about the first meal of the day-until now, of course. Therius was unsure of what to say next, and the same went for the other two, so it was a blessing to all of them that Mirania finally broke the silence a moment later.

"Perhaps...we ought to stop by a café before we head back to the castle, then?"

* * *

The warm smell of tea enticed the three swiftly into the nearest café (Mirania the most, though, as she always had a good appetite). As they sat down at a table and finished taking their orders, they began to talk in low voices, out of earshot of the hustle and bustle of other customers in the café. The three thought that it would be best to keep such serious talk to themselves-there was no need to voice it aloud and cause attention or alarm for the others.

"Tell me what you have done to try to prevent the...seperatists from causing chaos." Zesha spoke to Therius. "If there is a hole in security anywhere, it would make sense to as of how the seperatists manage to attack anyone and get away with it."

The white knight paused, before speaking. "I have recently increased the amount of soldiers on patrols, especially in the night-that's when the seperatists strike the most. I keep as many as I can on watch-but no matter what, there is always that one time or that gets unguarded-and then they strike. Most likely the seperatists have been watching carefully-they're not the type to go and strike recklessly. Night also makes for a good cover, and hence their usual nightly attacks."

"Maybe you could try sticking some soldiers in common places at more irregular times-say, fifteen or three minutes before noon for example. That might catch them off guard, surely..." Mirania tried to suggest.

Therius once again paused, soaking the idea into his mind before speaking. "It is a possible strategy. But then again, there are others that are not necessarily in the separatist groups, but are still, well, racist against the other kind. It's extremely difficult to separate them from the seperatists because of their similar views. It won't be easy..."

Before Zesha could say something else, a loud roar rose from behind them, and they turned to see people running, screaming. In the middle of the newfound chaos was none other than a few humans, fighting against some knights as a Gurak waitress and customers slowly got up from the floor, bloody noses and arms flailing about in panic.

Therius immediately got to action, all enthusiasm for discussion gone as his facial expression went stoic. "Lord Zesha, I'll take care of this." He told him. "I suggest the best course of action would be to go back to the castle. Miss Mirania, can you please accompany him back?"

"But," Mirania started, "What about the injured ones-"

Therius shook his head quickly, heading towards the humans that started the chaos as he drew his sword. "I'll have some of my men bring them to the hospital wing. You can heal them there." As Therius rushed away, he quickly shouted at a few knights to head towards Zesha and Mirania-most likely to keep guard for them as they went back to the castle.

Mirania noted Zesha cringing, biting his lip for a moment before he turned towards Mirania. "We should go." He told her quickly, doing his best not to look at his fellow injured people as blood kept dripping onto the floor. "We should go."

"Yes," She replied quickly, and the two hurried back to the castle without another word.

* * *

**Author note: Thank you all SO MUCH for reading my fics 'The Last Story-Anthology,' 'Fall,' and 'Carnevale Di Felicità' and favouriting and following them as well! I really appreciate it a lot, and I wish you all a Happy New Year! Let's make next year of fanfiction a good one! :)**


	4. Tailor-made

_4. Tailor-made_

Zael and Callista were already waiting for Zesha and Mirania when they arrived at Lazulis Castle.

"We heard about what happened," Zael started before Mirania could even try to explain. "We're glad you're both alright..."

Zesha merely let out a breath, shaking his head. "I'm afraid the same cannot be said for those injured at the café." He murmured quietly. "I can only hope that they were not too injured to the point of it being fatal, I suppose."

There was a moment of silence, before Callista spoke up. "Lord Zesha, are you aware that there will be a ball tonight?" She asked quickly, in an attempt to change the subject.

"A ball?" Zesha repeated, blinking a bit.

When had there been a ball? Zesha couldn't remember Callista ever informing him about one in advance, but then again he figured he should have expected it-a ball to greet your once-enemy, a façade to the rest of Lazulis that everything was alright when it really wasn't...

"Erm..." Zesha eventually shook his head, after an awkward moment of silence. "I'm afraid I didn't remember. I'm not sure if I have attire that would suit a ball, and so soon..."

"Then, well, we could probably get some tailors to make you an outfit." Zael responded quickly, looking at Zesha's tall frame carefully. "I mean, how troublesome could it be...?"

* * *

Poor Zael. He had no idea what he was getting into...not until he realized _two hours later_ that none of the human tailors were so inexperienced with someone of Zesha's height and build, probably due to the fact that he was the first Gurak they had tried to make clothes for.

"...I give up..." The wielder of the Outsider groaned, shaking his head as he sat on a stool. Zesha stood behind a changing screen, half naked as he tried to comprehend how terrible humans could be in trying to conquer something as simple as creating clothing customized to suit one perfectly.

"I thought there was a Gurak tailor that worked somewhere in this city..." Yurick trailed off. The fire mage had been brought along to Zesha's guest room by Zael, to help him figure out what sort of outfit would look best on Zesha. Obviously, it wasn't working too well considering that the two had chosen the most clashy colour choices possible...

Zael's eyes lit up with determination. "There's a Gurak tailor? Alright, Yurick, we're going to go find him or her! Zesha, we'll be back as soon as possible!" He exclaimed, grabbing Yurick by the arm and dashing out of the room, slamming the door loudly behind him.

Zesha paused for a moment, before slowly stepping out from behind the changing screen as he wrapped a bathrobe about himself to keep warm. Looking around, he realized that he was the only one left in the room, and he let out a sigh.

"...What do I do now?"

* * *

Callista shook her head as Mirania changed from behind a changing screen. After Callista had found out that Mirania had nothing nice enough to wear to the ball (she, Lowell, Syrenne and Yurick were going undercover at the ball to gather information from any nobles about possible separatist activity), she had ordered every single tailor in the castle to try to make something for her. All the dresses they made were pretty, but none of them were...stunning enough on Mirania, as far as Callista decided.

"I'll go out into the city and find more dressmakers. _One _of them can surely make something that will suit you well enough for the ball tonight!"

And then she'd went, despite Mirania protesting that she was alright with the other dresses...

"She doesn't have to spend so much on me..." The healing mage murmured to herself quietly as she threw on a bathrobe to cover herself for now. Looking out a nearby window, she then turned towards the door when she heard footsteps outside, wondering if she could ask the possible maid passing by to fetch her a few books from the library-Mirania had no idea how long it would be until Callista came back, after all.

She opened the door..only to reveal Zesha, who'd just opened the door as well and was wearing almost nothing but a bathrobe.

The two just stared at each other in utter horror for a good few moments. And then, without warning, they both dashed back into their rooms, slamming the doors shut behind them.

* * *

_I saw her naked-naked! _That was the first thought that came to Zesha's mind as he breathed quickly, nearly hyperventilating that he'd practically stared at an undressed woman-let alone _Mirania _of all people. _Wait, no, she was dressed...though not as dressed as usual, but still dressed, at least... _He let out a sigh of relief at that, knowing that the encounter was almost too close to call '_safe.'_

He paused, before opening the door again.

* * *

_Was he-_ Mirania took a deep breath as she tried to calm down, leaning against the door as she wrapped her arms about herself. _How long has he been there? _She nearly blushed as she remembered his more undressed state...wearing only a bathrobe, the long blond hair drifting just past the broad shoulders, the hint of a muscular abdomen showing because that robe was tied slightly looser than expected...and she blushed slightly, shaking her head as she tried to rid herself of the image.

She paused, before opening the door again.

* * *

"So...can you explain to me why you are here?"

It was Zesha that started the discussion between the two of them, with nothing but the width of the hallway to separate them.

"Erm..." She paused for a moment, before speaking again. "Callista thought that it would be a good idea for me to attend the ball as well, and she wanted me to look nice..." It was hardly a good enough excuse, but it would be weird for her to tell him that she was going there undercover to listen to the nobles chattering with each other, she supposed.

_"Oh."_ Zesha let out a sigh, shaking his head a little. "The reason of my undressed state, if you're wondering, is because I have still yet to find a good outfit to suit me. Zael went to go hunt for the only tailor in Lazulis that is experienced with making clothing for the Gurak..."

_"O-oh..."_

The two of them went painfully silent for a good few moments, before Mirania spoke up again.

"Will you be looking forwards to the ball tonight?"

Zesha paused for a moment, before speaking again.

"No."

She was a bit confused at this. "...Why...?"

"Well..." He paused, shaking his head, before continuing to speak. "It's just that no one has ever danced with me, nor have I had the experience. So, whenever I go to a ball, I'm stuck standing at the side doing nothing but watching the others dance and chatter about. Being right-hand man to Lord Zangurak did not include dancing with others in its work, unfortunately."

"Oh." She paused, before making eye contact with him. "It's alright, Lord Zesha. Maybe I could ask Callista or Zael to get you a dance tutor, or..."

"No," He answered quickly, shaking his head again as he nearly blushed trying to think of it. "That would be far too embarrassing for me to try dancing in front of...them, though I do thank you for offering to do so..."

"Alright, then." Mirania smiled a bit at him quietly, her black hair always framing her face so perfectly. "I'm sure Zael and Callista would be alright with you standing aside. You don't have to dance with anyone if you don't wish to."

He nodded once. "Thank you, Mirania."

It was then that Yurick happened to disturb them both, pulling them out of their privacy and towards the realization that they were still pretty much half naked, and talking to each other across the hallway.

"Erm...you know, you're both still not completely dressed, right?"

Both of them immediately panicked, and hid in their rooms for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

**Author note: Thank you all so much for continuing to read this fic-and I'm really surprised, actually, that some of you readers are actually liking this pairing! I wasn't expecting it at all (and obviously I underestimated that), so, well, thank you for your support of the MiraniaxZesha pairing! XD Hope you enjoyed this chapter-and reviews are always appreciated! Thanks! **


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